Step stool



Jan. 4, 1966 D. L- BATES ETAL 3,227,243

STEP STOOL Filed Jan. 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet z IN VENTORS Jan. 4, 1966D. BATES ETAL STEP STOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 6, 1964 INVENTawn-J BY fewer 4. 4 544 msh, b fli Arron/5w.

United States Patent 3,227,243 STEP STOOL Donald L. Bates and Jerry L.Neal, Columbus, Ind., assignors to Hamilton Cosco, Inc., Columbus, Indz,a corporation of Indiana Filed Jan.6, 1964, Ser. No. 335,914 6 Claims.(Cl. 182--156) This invention relates to a collapsible step stool, andhas for its object the provision of a step stool which can be collapsedfor convenience of storage, which can be easily moved between collapsedand extended positions, which will be of attractive appearance, andwhich will prove sturdy and durable in use. It is a specific object ofthe invention to provide a foot support for a step which can beeconomically formed from plastic material and which will provide aresilient support.

In accordance with one form of the invention, there is provided a pairof interconnected rear legs. A pair of interconnected front legs arepivotally interconnected to said rear legs by link means for swingingmovement between an operative position in which they are disposed Wellforwardly of the rear legs and a retracted position in which they aredisposed adjacent the rear legs. A seat is pivotallyinterconnected tosaid front and rear legs for swinging movement with said front legsbetween a retracted generally vertical position and an operativehorizontal position in which it is supported on the rear legs and theupper ends of the front legs.

A transverse rod extends between the front legs below theirinterconnection to the seat. Said rod is pivotally interconnected bylink means to the forward portion of a step pivotally interconnectedadjacent its rear edge to the rear legs. Said step is movable with thefront legs and seat between an operative position in which it issupported on said rod and the rear legs and a retracted position inwhich it lies in a generally vertical plane adjacent the rear legs.Desirably, said step comprises a generally rectangular frame having abrace extending transversely thereacross intermediate its length. A footsupport in the form of a resilient self-supporting envelope having aplurality of air filled channels is bindingly retained in the openingdefined by the step frame and brace.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe more detailed description which follows and from the accompanyingdrawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a step stoolembodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is'a vertical section taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1 and showingsaid stool inv its retracted position in dotted lines; FIG. 3 is anenlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG.- l;'

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line'4-4 of FIG. 1;

I FIG. 5 is'a 'top plan view of the step stool shown in f' FIG. 1, butshowing portions of the seat broken away; and

FIG. 6 is 'a vertical section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 2. t m

As illustrated in the drawings,-the step stool is supported on pairs offront and rear legs 10 and 12. .Conveniently, the rear legs 10 are theends of a length of metal tubingbent into a generally U-shapedconfiguration. The legs 10 are interconnected at their upper ends iceupper ends thereof. Conveniently, caps 19 are mounted on the lower endsof the front and rear legs to prevent said legs from marring the floor.

A seat 20 is pivotally interconnected to the legs 10 and 12.Conveniently, said seat may comprise a frame 22 formed from a length ofmetal tubing bent into a rectangular shape and pivotally interconnectedadjacent its rear edge to the inner faces of the rear legs 10 as byrivets 23. Adjacent its front edge, the frame 22 is pivotallyinterconnected to the front legs 12 by a transversely extending rod 26carried in the bight 18 and projecting outwardly from the legs 12 forreception in aligned openings formed in the adjacent inner faces of saidframe. A rigid panel 24 having a padded covering 25 extending thereoveris mounted on the frame 22 to form the supporting surface for the seat.

The pairs of legs 10 and 12 at the sides of the stool are pivotallyinterconnected by link arms 28 lying in the planes of the legs at eachside of the stool. The arms 28 are identical in construction, and eachhas its end adjacent the leg 10 flattened and bent upwardly, as at 30,for reception in a vertically extending slot 32 formed in the forwardface of the leg 10. The flattened arm end 30 is pivotally connected tothe leg 10 as by a rivet 33. The opposite end of said rod is flattenedand bent downwardly, as at 35, for reception in an elongated slot 36formed in the rearwardly presented face of the leg 12. The rod end 35 ispivotally interconnected to said leg by a rivet 38.

A step 40 is supported on the legs 10 and 12 below the seat 20.Conveniently, said step comprises a frame 42 formed from a length ofmetal tubing bent into a rectangular shape. An L-sh'aped brace 41 havingarms 43 and 44 extends transversely of the frame 42 intermediate itslength and has its ends received in openings formed in the opposed innerfaces of said frame. Adjacent its rear edge the frame 42 is pivotallyconnected to the inner faces of the legs 10 by the rivets 33interconnecting the link arms 28 to said legs. The lateral stretches ofthe frame 42 are provided with notches 46 receivable over a transverserod 48 extending between the front legs 12 for supporting the forwardportion of the step 40 in a horizontal operative position on said frontlegs. The step is pivotally interconnected to the front legs 12 by apair of links 50 each having one of its ends rotatably carried on therod 48 and its opposite end fixedly connected to a rivet 52 mounted in alateral stretch of the frame 42.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a foot support 54 is mounted on the frame 42within the opening defined by the forward portion of said frame and thebrace 41. Said support is in the form of :an envelope of a flexibleself-supporting plastic material such as linear polyethylene or thelike. Said support has upper and lower walls 56 and 58 which areintegrally connected at the periphery of the support. Conveniently, aplurality of tread-forming ribs 59 are formed in the upper wall 56.Spaced fore and aft longitudinal portions 62 of the wall 58 projectdownwardly from the wall 56 to define a plurality of longitudinallyextending air filled chambers 64. The wall 58 also has spacedtransversely extending portions 66 projecting downwardly from the upperwall 56 which deby a bight 14 extendingtransvers ely of the stool. A

pair of transverse rods 16 are received in openings in'the adjacentinner faces of the legs 10 to act in combination with the bight 14 toform the stool back rest. The front legs 12 also constitute the ends ofa length of metal tubing bent into a generally U-shape with the bight 18of said length of tubing interconnecting said legs at the finetransversely extending air filled chambers 68. As shown, the portions ofthe lower wall 58 intermediate the portions 62 and 66 are integral withthe upper wall- 56 to rigidly interconnect said upper and lower walls tostiffen the support 54. The support side walls 70 have concave portionsengaging the frame 42 and terminate at their upper edge in an outwardlyprojecting lip 72. The cross-sectional extent of the support 54 isslightly greater than that of the opening in the forward portion of thestep 40 defined by the frame 42 and brace 41. In this manner, thesupport 54 is bindingly retained in said opening with the concaveportions of its side walls 70 abutting the inwardly presented faces ofthe frame 42 and its lip 72 received over the upper faces of the frame42 and brace arm 43. As shown in FIG. 2, the sections 66 of the wall 58are more shallow in the forward portion of the support 54 in order topermit the step 40 to overlie said rod with its notches 46 extendingthereover.

With the stool in its operative position, the seat 20 and step 40 willhave their rear edges supported on the legs 10 by the rivets Z3 and 33,respectively. In such operative position, the forward portion of theseat 20 is supported on the upper ends of the legs 12 and the bight 18interconnecting said legs. The step 40 projects forwardly of the frontseat edge, and the forward portion of the step 40 is supported inhorizontal orientation by the notches 46 being received over thetransverse rod 48.

In order to collapse the stool, the forward edge of the seat 20 islifted upwardly to cause said seat to swing upwardly about the rivets 23into a generally vertical retracted position. Since the seat isinterconnected to the front legs 12 through the rod 26, upward movementof the seat will cause said front legs to swing upwardly into aretracted position in which they lie adjacent the plane of the rearlegs. Upward movement of the legs 12 also causes the step 40 to swingupwardly about the axis of the rivets 33 and the interconnection of thestep to the front legs provided by the links 50 so that said step alsolies in a generally vertically retracted position adjacent the plane ofthe rear legs 10. Movement of the stool to its extended position ismerely effected by swinging the seat downwardly to cause the legs 12 toswing forwardly and downwardly and the step 40 to swing downwardly forreception over the rod 48.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible step stool, comprising (a) a pair of interconnectedrear legs,

(b) a pair of interconnected front legs formed from a U-shaped frame andinterconnected at their upper ends by a transverse bight,

() link means pivotally interconnecting said front and rear legs,

((1) a seat pivotally interconnected to said rear legs and pivotallyconnected to said front legs by a rod carried in said transverse bight,

(e) a step pivotally interconnected to said front and rear legs belowsaid seat, and

(f) a transverse rod interconnecting said front legs,

(g) said seat and step being swingable with said front legs about theirinterconnections to the rear legs between a retracted position in whichsaid seat, step, and front legs lie in generally vertical planesadjacent the rear legs and an operative position in which said frontlegs are disposed well forwardly of said rear legs and the forwardportions of said seat and step are supported on said front legs andtransverse rod, respectively, the front edge of said step projectingforwardly of the front seat edge in said operative position.

2. A collapsible step stool as set forth in claim 1 in which (a) secondlink means are pivotally interconnected to said transverse rod and stepfor pivotally interconnecting said step and front legs, and

(b) said step having locking recesses formed therein for reception oversaid transverse rod for releasably locking the stool in extendedoperative position.

3. A collapsible step stool, comprising (a) a pair of interconnectedrear legs,

(b) a front leg frame having a transverse bight interconnecting a pairof front legs at the upper ends thereof,

(c) first link means pivotally interconnecting said front and rear legs,

(d) a seat having a generally rectangular frame pivotally interconnectedto the inner faces of said rear legs,

(e) a first transverse rod carried in said bight and projectingoutwardly from said front legs and received in aligned openings in theinner faces of said seat frame,

(f) a second transverse rod interconnecting said front legs below saidfirst transverse rod,

(g) a step pivotally interconnected to said rear legs and supported onsaid second transverse rod in horizontal operative position,

(h) second link means pivotally connected to said step and secondtransverse rod,

(i) said seat and step being swingable with said leg frame about theirinterconnections to the rear legs between a retracted position in whichsaid seat, step, and leg frame lie in generally vertical planes adjacentthe rear legs and an operative position in which said front legs aredisposed well forwardly of said rear legs and the forward portions ofsaid seat and step are supported on said front legs and said secondtransverse rod, respectively, the front edge of said step projectingforwardly of the front seat edge in said operative position,

(j) said step having locking recesses formed therein for reception oversaid second transverse rod for releasably locking the stool in extendedoperative position.

4. In combination with a step stool having a seat supported on aplurality of legs, a step comprising (a) a generally rectangular frameoperatively supported on said legs,

(b) a transverse brace extending across said frame intermediate itslength, and

(c) a foot support in the form of a resilient self-supporting envelopehaving upper and lower faces provided with aligned portions in abuttingand spaced relationship to form a plurality of air filled channelsbetween said upper and lower faces,

(d) said support having a peripherally extending lip received over theupper faces of said frame and brace for retaining said support thereon.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 4 in which (a) said channelsextend longitudinally and transversely of said support.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 4 in which (a) said support has across-sectional extent slightly larger than the cross-sectional area ofthe opening defined by said frame and brace, and

(b) said support is bindingly retained in said opening.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 603,848 5/1898Herder l82125 X 693,892 2/1902 Page 182125 701,532 6/1902 Bardin 182125X 1,630,747 5/1927 Johnson 182-33 1,954,112 4/1934 Winter 182-1252,875,815 3/1959 Gill 297153 3,025,101 3/1962 McKinnie 182125 X3,059,722 10/1962 Rouse 182-33 3,106,296 10/1963 Walsh l08159 X FOREIGNPATENTS 1,115,183 10/1961 Germany.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, CHARLES E. OCON- NELL, Examiners,

1. A COLLAPSIBLE STEP STOOL, COMPRISING (A) A PAIR OF INTERCONNECTEDREAR LEGS, (B) A PAIR OF INTERCONNECTED FRONT LEGS FORMED FROM AU-SHAPED FRAME AND INTERCONNECTED AT THEIR UPPER ENDS BY A TRANSVERSEBIGHT, (C) LINK MEANS PIVOTALL INTERCONNECTED TO SAID REAR LEGS AND REARLEGS, (D) A SEAT PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED TO SAID REAR LEGS ANDPIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FRONT LEGS BY A ROD CARRIED IN SAIDTRANSVERSE BIGHT, (E) A STEP PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED TO SAID FRONT ANDREAR LEGS BELOW SAID SEAT, AND (F) A TRANSVERSE ROD INTERCONNECTING SAIDFRONT LEGS, (G) SAID SEAT AND STEP BEING SWINGABLE WITH SAID FRONT LEGSABOUT THEIR INTERCONNECTIONS TO THE REAR LEGS BETWEEN A RETRACTEDPOSITION IN WHICH SAID SEAT, STEP, AND FRONT LEGS LIE IN GENERALLYVERTICAL PLANES ADJACENT THE REAR LEGS ARE DISPOSED WELL FORWARDLY WHICHSAID FRONT LEGS ARE DISPOSED WELL FORWARDLY OF SAID REAR LEGS AND THEFORAWRD PORTIONS OF SAID SEAT AND STEP ARE SUPPORTED ON SAID FRONT LEGSAND TRANSVERSE ROD, RESPECTIVELY, THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID STEP PROJECTINGFORWARDLY OF THE FRONT SEAT EDGE IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION.